Ethical principles and practices in fan studiesRuth A Deller | @ruthdeller

Research is often publicly available – and unexpected people read it.Institutional research policies are often publicly available, and staff and students affiliated to institutions will be expected to work in accordance with those frameworks. Failure to comply with an institutional policy could be a cause for disciplinary action.For independent scholars, it's also worth considering similar principles.If you are a member of an academic organisation, there is a good likelihood that the organisation will have its own ethical guidelines. Members may not be disciplined if they do not comply, but most organisations would advise that members work in accordance with their policies.As fan scholars, who are often visible within the fandoms they are studying, we often have a close and visible relationship with our participants. Therefore, they may have particular expectations of us and expect is to behave in a particular manner.Why do ethics matter to fan studies?

Check your institution's ethics policies.Ensure you know your institutional ethics process and consider the timeliness of ethics applications.Remember, those reading your paperwork may be from different disciplines/backgrounds.Ensure you've thought through as many eventualities as possible.Prepare participant info materials, consent forms etc.Look at guidelines from external bodies and organisations.Check whether additional paperwork needs to be completed eg for other external bodies.Sometimes we have to think creatively to create a robust argument and appropriate research approach…And sometimes we have to let an idea, or some findings, go.

Process and procedures

Ethics policies and guidelines are often written with reference to terms such as harm, offence, risk etc.However, these terms are not always easily understood, nor do they easily translate across disciplines and practices.Likewise, terms such as public and private have a range of interpretations.If in doubt, it is always worth consulting with colleagues, mentors, peers or members of your ethics board for guidance.Different countries often have different cultural expectations – true of organisations/institutions AND participants.

General guidance

Who and what is this research for?What is the benefit of this research?What is the benefit of this research for those taking part in it?Where will this research be published/disseminated?What are the potential problems with this research?Could this research be considered ‘harmful’ or ‘offensive’ in any way?Will this research involves those considered to be ‘vulnerable’?What safeguards, if any, are needed to protect you and your participants?What are the advantages/disadvantages of naming your participants?What rights will you give participants to withdraw?What information will you give participants about the study?

Key questions

Although a good principle is: the more public and the less intimate, the fewer ethical implications, this is not always straightforward.For example, some people might consider a blog to be a public document, but the blog's author may have a different perspective. One blogger may be very comfortable with research citing very personal and intimate posts; another may be unhappy with research citing seemingly innocuous posts such as opinions on TV shows.If we can contact our research participants, then it is often worth doing so as a matter of courtesy.Most websites and online organisations have terms of use associated with the site. It's worth checking these if you are conducting online research to ensure that you are operating as best as possible within those guidelines.Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s ‘fair game’.

Researching online

Qualitative research is, by its nature, more invasive.Smaller fandoms/contexts mean participants are harder to anonymise.Consider your own position: are you a fan yourself? Does your position as an academic change the context in which you're researching?Consider debriefing and withdrawal processes.How will you update participants on progress?If researching in a venue/public place, consider the health and safety implications.Consider any potential copyright implications.

Other considerations

Resources

• Association of internet researchers: http://aoir.org/ethics/• American Sociological Association: http://

www.asanet.org/about/ethics.cfm• Association of Social Anthropologists UK/Commonwealth: http://

www.theasa.org/ethics.shtml• British Sociological Association: http://

www.britsoc.co.uk/media/27107/StatementofEthicalPractice.pdf• Annette Markham’s bibliography: http

://www.markham.internetinquiry.org/research/• MeCCSA:

http://www.meccsa.org.uk/resources/meccsa-statement-of-research-ethics-guidelines/